I should have done this sooner + I’ll give you some hints + YOU inspire me.

I’ve got a new pregnancy update up today—> HERE!! Not sure how many more of these updates there will be before she comes which is beyond exciting for us!

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Our tree is up and ready to go! Our house smells amazing… I should have put up a Christmas tree during my first trimester of pregnancy to avoid smelling anything food-related that made me sick.

My Wednesday run included the treadmill and a date with This is Us. There won’t be a new episode of This is Us (this one was the fall finale) for a while and I’m taking that as a sign that I’ll have this baby before next Wednesday so I don’t miss my weekly run with a new episode. The show will start up again after I’m done recovering (I’m taking 6 weeks off from running). They will be supporting my time away from running.

Just a belly shot because I felt like it. 5 miles @ 10:00 pace! If my prediction is correct, I will get in 27.1 more miles before she comes;)

Brooke was pretty excited by the frost on the ground in the morning. She really wants it to snow and this is a sign to her that we are getting closer.

Just caught her casually smelling the Christmas tree. I totally get it. I bet you can guess where we got our tree! I’ll give you 2 hints: 1. It is the same place where we buy all of our food and it is the definition of heaven to Andrew. 2. It ends with an OSTCO.

Knox came home and I had some Santa slippers waiting for him. It feels so good to have his energy/personality/sweetness here again.

He came with me to pick up Brooke from school and I wish you could have seen their excitement to see each other.

Lunch was from Costco of course. I’m a big fan of a good salad kit and this one is excellent (I added the chicken)! A big cup of hot chocolate and marshmallows came after the below scene.

After lunch we got to work decorating the tree and house!

I found Andrew’s first marathon medal while going through some boxes. He ran his first marathon before I ran my first marathon (I did in 2010)! And his first one was St. George… I think we were meant to be because that is my favorite marathon. Andrew said next year when we don’t have the older kids for Christmas we should do a running medal tree instead of normal ornaments… I think that is a fabulous idea. We will feel so accomplished each time we walk by the tree.

We made it over to the doctor’s office to check on the baby! Everything is going great, her heart rate is 138 bpm but who knows when she is going to come. The kids have learned to pack a bunch of toys for the doctor’s office to avoid complete boredom that they encountered the first 20 appointments.

We hit two traditions last night after the doctor’s… They each picked out a Christmas book for us to read a billion times before Christmas.

And they each picked out an ornament too!

I had a few other things for dinner but the star of the show for me were cinnamon rolls straight from a Pillsbury can. They were delicious and everything I wanted them to be. Breakfast foods have been my thing this pregnancy, that is for sure!

I saw this on IG last night and I NEED THESE NOW. It might be worth the 30 minute drive this morning just to get these for breakfast.

PS this is how I found Brooke and Beretta on Tuesday night. Beretta understands the importance of using a pillow to support her head at night too. Our kids take sleeping with Beretta very seriously so we found the most ‘fair’ method to be that Knox gets to sleep with Beretta whenever he is sleeping at our house (which is 50% of the time) and then Brooke has her the nights he is gone. Andrew thinks we just need to get another dog so that they both always have a dog to sleep with… I think we will wait on that for a while because there is a whole ‘figuring out a newborn’ thing coming our way;)

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Super excited to share your amazing accomplishments today (normally I do this every Friday but this week is different:)… If you want to be featured then send in your accomplishment to [email protected] !

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Tanna!!! “I turn 30 on December 31st this year, and to celebrate that, I asked my best friend to run 30 miles with me sometime before then. We have both only completed 2 marathons, so 26.2 miles was the farthest we had run before Wednesday. We both work at a local high school, and Wednesday was the first day of our Thanksgiving break, which also happened to be the only day that we could complete this before my birthday due to Christmas vacations. We got up super early (I also had a goal to run on our local trail in the dark- so we knocked it out as well;) ha!) and headed to the beginning point of our run (my father drove us there and stayed with us to make sure we were safe). We ran pretty much all day, stopping every 7-8 miles or so to have a mini picnic provided by my parents (who stayed near us all day to keep us fueled and hydrated-they’re the best!). I felt awesome for the first 22ish miles- better than I ever have in a marathon! I hit the dreaded wall at mile 23, but we still managed to finish the complete 30 miles!! I was so excited!! I couldn’t ask for a better best friend- one who agrees to run 30 miles- how lucky am I?! I feel incredibly blessed to have reached this milestone, and even more blessed to have the friends and family God has given me who support me and my crazy dreams!!”

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Chelsea (writing about her daughter’s accomplishment:)!!! “My husband and I ran the Des Moines Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving with our two oldest children. We were proud of both of them for their effort and attitude, and had so much fun doing the event together. I especially loved training with my 8-year-old daughter Grace on weekends (and even one morning before school!) in November and running the race with her. She ran strong the entire course, hills and all, without even considering a break to walk. Her time was 14 minutes faster than her only previous 5k that we jog/walked together six months ago! She finished in 30:19 with a huge smile, knowing that her hard work paid off and that she could go even faster next time. The only downside is that now I’m afraid I might not be able to run races with her much longer because she will be faster than me!! It was a great holiday.”

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Katie!!! “I’ve been running for over a decade but somehow have never done a Turkey Trot! I rectified that this year. I went into it assuming I’d just be running on my own (my family never wants any part of getting up early to run- or run at any time, especially when it’s 27 degrees out. But unbeknownst to me, a childhood friend was back in town and she was running the 5k, as well! We’ve been friends since we were two and our moms are still best friends. My friend and I have long since moved out of our hometown and so it was awesome to reunite in our old “stomping grounds” for a holiday run! She beat her goal time by two minutes and I found I cared a heck of a lot less about not PRing because I was just so happy to reconnect with an old friend. It certainly puts things in perspective- running is awesome, running with friends is awesome, but friendship trumps all!”

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Just another reminder that I’ve got a new baby update for you HERE!! 38 Weeks + HOW DID YOU KNOW?! (I need to hear your stories please)!

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Ever run your new birthday age in miles before?

-I’ve always wanted to but I never have… too bad the numbers just keep getting higher, I should have done it in my 20s!

White lights or colored lights on the Christmas tree? Do you always stick to one or switch it up each year?

Marathoners—> What year was your first marathon? PS when do you think marathons really started getting popular?

56 comments

Almarie

You should run your birthday age in kilometers not miles, then it will still be 20 something miles!! My first marathon was in the 90’s. I ran 18 km (11-11.5 miles) today. The dogs sleep in the house on a bed.

1. I have not run my age in miles, and I’m afraid it’s too late now–I’m 56 and not feeling that!
2. We have colored lights on our tree, but depending on the theme (assuming you have one), white would be okay too. I just love any Christmas lights!
3. My first race of any length was the St. George Marathon in 2006.
4. In order for me to get any sleep at all, the dog has to sleep in his own bed, next to ours. Even then his snoring can be a problem–but we love him too much to banish him from the room.

Aww, y’all’s tree looks great! I’m hoping someday that I’ll be able to have a tree and share that fun with someone. I usually just have the Charlie Brown Christmas tree, but I had to part with it during my move a couple of months ago. I bought a couple of mini stockings from the Target $1 section, but there’s something about a Christmas tree that makes a place so much more special.

I had a tempo run this morning, and it felt better than ever! I went back and read your post that you linked to yesterday about tempo runs, and those reminders really helped—thanks for that! :)

kelly

Love running miles for the age, but now that I am going to be 48 I’ve kind of switched to kilometers!! hehe.

My first marathon was during Ironman Canada. My 2nd marathon was IM Coeur d’Alene. I didn’t run a stand alone marathon until 2 years after IM. And in my true crazy fashion, ran one with my mom who wanted to BQ…..and my 4th baby was 7months old. (Don’t try this at home. It was not easy!!!) She BQ’d and it was so worth it because my brother was out there helping another friend.
No doggie but we love them.
White lights. Love them.
Run today was midday as it’s parent teacher conferences so I did my usual 10km but it was snowing so it was added fun. it stopped snowing when I was done. sigh.
You do realize that every day now I am wondering if you’re going into labor or running those miles to meet your prediction. It’s a very fun distraction!!!

HAHAH well, hopefully the distraction isn’t there for too much longer ha! I WANT TO MEET HER! Way to get out for your run in the snow!

Okay, let’s talk about this for a second… YOUR FIRST (and second) marathon was during an Ironman. You are incredible! I can’t imagine, that is incredible. I LOVE that you ran with your mom and she BQed. Thanks for sharing Kelly. You are quite inspiring!

Kelly

Okay so funny story-I was freaked out about the stand alone marathon. I kept saying how hard it was going to be and the pace would be faster and the training. Of course my family thought I was crazy. I’m still pretty sure the marathon in an IM is more entertaining or something. My brother did suggest I go on along ride and swim the day before if that would make me less anxious. I passed ;)

Your tree is the perfect color! I’ve never had a real tree because I am allergic to them. My poor mom always had a real tree before I was born and I think she missed them when I was growing up but she still kept me instead of the tree :D.

Those cinnamon rolls look so good! Adam was telling me the other day that he’s been craving them so this is a good reminder that we need to make some!

Kaelin

I think I could finally keep up with you at your current pace/distance :) I love that you are totally okay with slowing down and lowering your mileage. A great example for other’s who may be struggling with a changing body!!

Also, I think its funny that you have mentioned TJ’s and the 30-min drive there being out of range. I wish I had a grocery store closer to me than 30 min away! That’s the closest one, and I appreciate that its there. This is all totally in jest, and I get that living in a city is different than small town middle-of-nowhere USA. The closest TJ’s for me/city life is over 2hrs away! If I get there, I definitely stock up on TJ essentials.

AHHHHH WHAT!?! You live 30 minutes away from a grocery store? You must really plan well when you pick up groceries:) I am going to have to send you some TJ’s stuff and I will no longer complain about having to drive 30 minutes haha! Thanks so much Kaelin and I hope your day is a beautiful one!

I ran 4.0 Miles on my 40th this past year. And I plan to try to keep that up….4.1 miles this next year on #41;) My parents fast walk like 5 miles everyday……so they walk 6.3 miles on their #63 birthday;) I don’t do high miles (I have only run one half;) I usually just run a 5 K a few times a week along with elliptical (on other day) and weights daily. So there is no way I am looking for high mileage to run;) But I like my system. it seems sustainable until I get higher up……then I may have to be walking my 7.2 miles when I am 72 (but hopefully I can do that…..) And if I can’t handle 8.0 miles when I am 80 when maybe I just just go .80 ;) LOL….Something like that;) Obviously this is something I have thought about way too much!

Colored lights-Always;)

I ran a 5 K at the gym this morning with my teenager;) Per our normal routine;)

I LOVE that idea Amanda, that’s what I need to do! I love how active your parents are too! You will be rocking an 8 mile walk when you are 80 (I sure want to)!! Thanks for sharing and I love that you workout with your teenager. My sister does that a lot now too and it’s the highlight of her day!

White lights all the way!! I like to keep it super classic- lots of red and gold!
My first marathon was in 2016, and I feel like full marathons started getting popular around 2010? Before that it was only super athletes who were running fulls, but now everyone is doing it!
My run today is 3 easy miles with the student marathon running club at the school I teach at! I volunteer to chaperone their runs 2-3 time a week and they’re a super fun bunch!

Kerri, oh my goodness… I LOVE what you are doing with the kids at your school. Student marathon running club, that is awesome! So do they train for a race or try to reach a specific number of miles throughout their training? I hope you are having a wonderful day!

They’re training for a May marathon! It’s an awesome program; I just help out with the shorter runs, but there are other mentors and volunteers who chaperone long runs on the weekends and cross training sessions. It’s actually a regional program called DreamFar and it’s pretty amazing:)

The Hungry Runner Girl

I do plan on running my age in miles next year, because it’s my milestone 50th! 50 miles will be plenty, no need to run farther than that I think :)
We used to put up a real tree, but I would always break out in a rash from the needles poking me while I decorated it. It was terrible! Also, we tend to travel during the holidays and didn’t want the responsibility of having to keep a tree watered. I do love the tree smell – but now I get it in candle form from Bath & Body Works!!

Jen W

I saw your video in your Insta story of Knox dancing in his new slippers—super cute :)

White lights on our tree, but colored lights remind me of when I was a kid, so colored lights will always have a special place in my heart.

My first marathon was in 2015–Philly. I was supposed to do Wineglass for the past two years, but it hasn’t panned out due to injuries :( I’m not sure if I’ll do another marathon again or not. I just entered a new age bracket to possibly BQ, and training wouldn’t have to be TOO crazy to possibly go for it based on my first marathon time. But, who knows. I can’t get wrapped up in the BQ obsession b/c that ruins running for me. Goals are good; obsessions are not :)

My run today! I have a half day of work, so I get a blessed run earlier in the day, not right after school!!! It’s 6 miles, and I’m doing a route that I haven’t done in a while that I’ve missed, so I’m excited for that :)

I didn’t start running until I was 40 so I have not run my age in miles and I’m not really planning to. :)

We use colored lights and I feel that they work best with our ornaments (which is definitely an eclectic mix).

Missy sleeps in any one of her beds. She used to sleep with us on occasion when she was younger but she’s a bed hog and she gets snarly if you move her. Now that she’s elderly she plops where she feels most comfortable, which is usually in our hallway. (she has an orthopedic bed as well as a few others but the carpeted floor is where it’s at right now).

AmandaM

My dog sleeps in my room in HIS bed (from Orvis – they have THE BEST dog stuff). I have a king-sized bed and I live alone but I still need ALL the space. If my dog were in my bed, he would no doubt sleep RIGHT next to me despite all the other room. I have enough issues sleeping a night – don’t need to add the dog into the mix :)

BAHAHA YEP… that is exactly what Beretta does with the kids. She likes to be right next to them. I need to look into Orvis, Beretta needs some Christmas presents too! Don’t add to your sleeping issues! Enjoy your Thursday!

R Kay

I started running and doing these really longer runs “youngish” (people say..), so it’s easier for me to run my age! Already passed my age several long runs/marathons over!

HOWEVER!!! One thing I like to do is New Year’s Day run the mileage of the (last two digits of) the new year!! 15 on Jan 1st, 2015; 16 on Jan 1, 2016; 17 on Jan 1, 2017….. we can do that, I hope!! Though maybe you’ll wait for another year..!! ?‍?‍?

Ali

I am a white light purist. My husband thinks I’m kind of ba hum bug but I can’t do colored lights. It didn’t occur to me to run my age until I was in my 30s so lately I’been running the second digit of my age on my birthday (so last year I ran 7 instead of 37).

A tree of medals is a fantastic idea! I also really like that marathon medal..beautiful!
I have never run my age in miles..that number is just too high now lol I have never run a marathon but I’ve run a few halfs!
Our vizsla (aka the neediest dog alive) sleeps in the bed with us, under the covers!
No run for me today, I did 2 miles with the dog last night!

I ran 2.4 miles for my 24th birthday. I doubt I’ll ever run my age without the decimal in there.
Our younger dog sleeps on the bed with me and my husband. She can be a total bed hog sometimes. My older dog can’t get on and off the bed so he has a cushy dog bed on the bedroom floor.
Thanks for sharing your Christmas traditions! My husband and I have been trying to figure out what traditions we want to start. Our little one is only three weeks old right now but I think it’d be so special to start traditions on his first Christmas.

I always like how my house smells when I have a real tree. I’ve been debating getting one this year, with my husband being away. Perhaps just a small one. Anyway, no running for me today as I need a rest day.

Marie

I love your posts so much; it feels like I’m reading an e-mail and so hard not to write back and have a dialogue. :) The part about where you got the tree had me laughing out loud. :) I didn’t know Costco sold real trees. I hate shopping but I love going to places like Costco, Sam’s, or Target. :) It’s more fun shopping for the kids. So sweet about Knox and the slippers you got for him. :) You are both so blessed to have each other; it’s amazing to watch! Brooke and Knox’s reunion is so sweet; reminds me of my twins when one stayed home sick from school. Their reunion in the afternoon is super sweet. Glad everything is going well with the baby. Ooh, I for sure will have to get the Hot Cocoa cereal now!

Rhiannon

Okay, that cereal from Trader Joe’s looks amazing… I may have to make the trip there to get some.
Never ran my birthday age in miles before, and I don’t think it’ll happen now unless I suddenly become an avid longer distance runner… and considering I don’t want to do a marathon and I’m over 26, it’s not happening!
I prefer white lights, although one year when I was a kid, my mom did colored lights and all white/clear ornaments, and that was pretty!
I don’t have a dog (not a dog person) but I do have a cat and he sleeps on my bed, at the foot of the bed usually. He’s learned that I don’t usually get out of bed right when my alarm goes off, so when it goes off, he gets up closer so I can pet him. He’s spoiled!
Fingers crossed I can get out for even a short 3-4 miles today… I’ve been getting off work too late to make it out before it’s dark, and even though I’ll run in the dark in the early mornings in the summer, I get creeped out running in the evenings.

Coloured lights for sure. I have run my age in distance before I turned that age. No run today. My first marathon was in 2007 BMO Vancouver Marathon (Vancouver is my home town). I”m not sure when marathons started becoming really popular actually. We don’t have any pets – but I told the other half I really want a dog – and to call him Rolo because I love Rolo chocolates. I’m not holding my breath though haha.

i love that you’ve been enjoying every breakfast food during your pregnancy. you guys should probably buy stock in bisquick haha :D we actually made bisquick pancakes over the weekend and BOY WERE THEY DELICIOUS — have you tried the heart healthy mix that comes in the white-ish box? if not, you should definitely get those, they are lighter and fluffier than the regular bisquick!

Elizabeth F

I was actually just reading a book (First Ladies of Running–highly recommend it!) that said one of the big factors contributing to running becoming more popular for everyday runners was Oprah running a marathon! I think it was Marine Corps Marathon in 1994.

Elizabeth F

Oh I totally agree with that!! I want to copy Oprah with everything too:) Thanks for the recommendation… I’m going to get it! Thanks Elizabeth and I am SO excited for your first marathon next year. PLEASE keep me updated with how training and everything is going!

The Hungry Runner Girl

Kate

Oh man, I wish I had thought of running my age in miles earlier! The big 3-0 is only two weeks away and I am nowhere near prepared to go for a 30-mile run in the next two weeks. Maybe I’ll have to run 30 when I *am* 30. Yeah, that’s good. That gives me more time to plan (and train!)
Growing up we always had white lights but now my fiance and I have colored lights. I was hesitant to make the switch but they do make the tree look so pretty and festive!
My first marathon was the 2014 SSE Aitricity Dublin Marathon. I decided to go big! And after running my first marathon stateside this year I think I am going to have to go back to the international scene. It’s much easier to keep celebrating when I am eating my way through a new city than when I am sitting at a desk back in the office :)
As a kid, I always wanted the dog to sleep with me. I would them bring him to bed with me and snuggle him up in the blankets and each one (we had three over the course of my childhood) would leave and go to my parents’ room. They must have hidden treats in their bed or something ;)
An easy three miles this morning.
PS I love the idea of a medal tree! I might have to go buy a small tree and do just that!

currently my dog sleeps on my bed with me but as my boyfriend and I are buying a house together once we move in she will be relegated to the floor or a dog bed if she chooses. That was my mom’s relationship advice, for the sake of the relationship, get her out of the bed LOL.

I used to love Costco’s Chinese chicken salad mix then they stopped carrying it! My mom said she saw it at her Costco again but it has not appeared at mine yet :(

Our dog sleeps in the main room on or under his blanket. I know he would LOVE to sleep on our beds with us but I guess we are all light sleepers and find his snoring unbearable. Same goes with the cats purring…..after about 10 minutes I have to kick the cats off the bed because I can’t stand the constant noise….and YES, I even sleep with earplugs.

Very.light.sleeper!! The only noise I can sleep with is a fan or a dehumidifier….which my husband thinks both are annoying so it kind of sucks. ha!

Ashley

Ever run your new birthday age in miles before? Yes! I ran my first marathon for my 26th birthday. :) I just turned 30 in October and my goal was to run my first 50k, but it didn’t work out due to surgery recovery.

White lights or colored lights on the Christmas tree? Do you always stick to one or switch it up each year? I do one or the other. This year is white lights :)

Marathoners—> What year was your first marathon? PS when do you think marathons really started getting popular? I ran my first in 2013! I feel like marathons started getting really popular in 2015/2016.

People with dogs… where do they sleep? My husband and I have two dogs. A boxer name Cash and an alaskan husky named Nalu. Cash sleeps in his doggy bed (covered in a blanket all night) on my side of the bed and Nalu sort of roams to numerous locations throughout the night as she pleases. She likes to keep an eye on the apartment.

What is your run today? My run today will be 4-5 minutes of 100 meter jogging and 5 meters walking. Super exciting. I know.

Emily

My first marathon was in 2014, and my second was about 3 weeks ago! My run today was a slow 6 miler done on the treadmill while watching Ellen…my longest run since my marathon (I am trying to be smart and build my mileage back up sloowwwly!)

We don’t have a dog yet, but when we do, I am pretty sure she will be sleeping in our bed ;) Have a great night!!

I’m not a marathoner but my very first race was the LA Marathon in 2008. I signed up with Team in Training to raise money for Leukemia. I don’t think I’ll do another full marathon ever again but I’ve done several half marathons since then.

We don’t do a tree anymore (sad days) but when we did, it was always with colored lights. Those are my favorite.

My dog has a bed in my room but sometime during the night he jumps on my bed and stays there until it is time for me to get up for work.

No run scheduled for today, I did an Orangetheory workout this morning before work.